Trump praises Putin and denigrates US leaders at CPAC
Donald Trump is facing a backlash for claiming to have saved Nato, despite the fact that he routinely denigrated it during his presidency and even reportedly considered pulling the US out of the alliance altogether.
“I hope everyone is able to remember that it was me, as President of the United States, that got delinquent Nato members to start paying their dues, which amounted to billions of dollars,” Mr Trump said in an emailed statement to reporters.
“There would be no Nato if I didn’t act strongly and swiftly,” he added, also falsely implying that the Obama administration only sent Ukraine “blankets” in aid when in fact it sent tens of millions of dollars’ worth of non-lethal military equipment.
Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias called the former president a “relentlessly dishonest egomaniac.”
“A big problem with having a relentlessly dishonest egomaniac in office at a time like this is there’s no way other countries could possibly cooperate with American policy or even know what American policy was.”
Meanwhile, former US attorney general Bill Barr says Mr Trump has “shown he has neither the temperament nor persuasive powers to provide the kind of positive leadership that is needed” in a new book.
Donald Trump Jr closes out CPAC with rambling speech
The former president’s son makes false claims about the Biden administration’s drugs policy in a speech taking in several conspiracy theories, writes Andrew Feinberg.
Oliver O’Connell1 March 2022 03:15
Pompeo redirected Trump’s anger by mentioning FBI and Russia in ‘running joke’
Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo would redirect the ire of Donald Trump by mentioning the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Russia probe, according to a new book.
Former attorney general Bill Barr wrote in his upcoming book, One Damn Thing After Another, that he and Mr Pompeo had a “running joke” to redirect Mr Trump from yelling by saying he hoped the FBI agents involved would be held accountable.
Mr Trump would then go off on a tangent about the investigation, according to a preview of the book from The New York Times.
Oliver O’Connell1 March 2022 02:15
Nigel Farage: Between statesman and culture warrior
At the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, Richard Hall speaks to the former UKIP leader.
Oliver O’Connell1 March 2022 01:15
Voices: I was red-pilled at CPAC
I was red-pilled at CPAC
I thought my experience as a correspondent in the Middle East — where I covered the Syrian civil war, the rise and fall of Isis, refugee crises and the struggle for democracy in Lebanon — had given me a finely-tuned radar for tyranny and oppression. Boy, was I wrong
Oliver O’Connell1 March 2022 00:45
Romney calls Marjorie Taylor Greene a ‘moron’
Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene is now facing criticism from members of her own party for her attendance and speech at a white nationalist conference over the weekend.
Oliver O’Connell1 March 2022 00:15
Tom Cotton slammed for refusing to criticise Trump’s praise for Putin
Amid Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the one-term president called Mr Putin a “genius” and “savvy” during a radio interview.
“George, if you want to know what Donald Trump thinks about Vladimir Putin or any other topic, I’d encourage you to invite him on your show,” Cotton told ABCThis Week anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.
Oliver O’Connell28 February 2022 23:30
Trump appeals ruling forcing him to testify in New York probe
Former President Donald Trump has appealed a judge’s decision requiring he answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices — a widely expected move that’s likely to prolong the fight over his testimony by months.
Lawyers for Trump and his two eldest children filed papers on Monday with the appellate division of the state’s trial court, seeking to overturn Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s 17 February ruling. They argue ordering the Trumps to testify violates their constitutional rights because their answers could be used in a parallel criminal investigation.
Trump appeals ruling forcing him to testify in NY probe
Former President Donald Trump has appealed a judge’s decision requiring he answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices — a widely expected move that’s likely to prolong the fight over his testimony by months
Oliver O’Connell28 February 2022 23:02
Trump calls the US a ‘stupid country’ and praises Putin as ‘smart’ in latest Ukraine comments
Donald Trump repeated his praise of Vladimir Putin as “smart” and called American leaders “dumb” as Russia pressed on with its widescale invasion of Ukraine in the face of fierce resistance.
As world leaders united to condemn the Russian president and impose sweeping sanctions on his government and oligarch allies, Mr Trump doubled down on earlier comments about Mr Putin.
Oliver O’Connell28 February 2022 22:45
Trump made a terrifying new promise to his followers: I will hurt Democrats for you
Donald Trump once told his supporters he was their voice. More than a year removed from the presidency, his remarks at CPAC make clear he now wants to be returned to Washington as their fist. Andrew Feinberg reports from Orlando, Florida.
Oliver O’Connell28 February 2022 22:07
‘Apologist for Putin’: Fox News foreign correspondent fact checks ‘distortions’ from ex-Trump adviser
A former Trump administration military adviser who believes there is “no reason” Russia cannot make a claim to Ukraine’s territory has received a dressing down on live TV.
Col Douglas MacGregor, who told Fox News host Trey Gowdy that Russians and Ukrainians were “indistinguishable” from one another, claimed on Sunday that Washington DC should drop economic sanctions imposed on Moscow for launching a full scale military assault on Kyiv.
Fox News’ national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin appeared moments later and rebuked Col MacGregor, who she said had delivered “so many distortions” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that she could not address them all in 10 minutes.
Oliver O’Connell28 February 2022 21:22